[Arm-netbook] Allwinner A10 Android Box (not tablet) and some experiment of run Ubuntu.

[Henrik Nordström]

Interesting. That board seem to be prepared for very many uses only needing connectors and maybe some passive components. Can quite likely easily be turned into a dev board for any A10 application with only a little soldering.


----- Ursprungsmeddelande -----
> Hi, all:
> 
>           Share my experiment of hack of A10 TV-Box device.
> For someone also want use A10 as your need.
> *Note: *
> *1. It is only for reference not finish yet.*
> *2. Maybe I lost sometime of step..:P*
> *3. Thank's Rhombus Tech web site, it's give me a lot of information.*
> 
> I am looking forward with HTPC tvbox hardware device.
> For run linux and XBMC, A10 device is cheaper but must of A10 device is
> tablet.
> Finally, I found a MELE A1000 android tv-box that it is A10 device.
> http://www.mele.cn/en/web/pro_show.aspx?cid=46&pid=60
> 
> Buy from taobao in the china and the price is RMB$469.
> http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=15051860754&prt=1329962623036
> 
> The box SPEC.
> 1. Video output - HDMI, CVBS, VGA .
> 2. Audio output - R+L, SPDIF
> 3. 3 usb host port + SDCard slot.
> 4. External SATA port (real SATA not from usb)
> 5. Ethernet.
> 6. ...
> 
> Internal board has
> 1. UART port connector.
> 2. USB device port connector
> 3. MIC pin
> 4. CVBS-IN pin.
> Inside picture :
> http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9959499/a10/A10_device_a1000_inside.jpg
> 
> The A1000's sys_config1.fex
> http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9959499/a10/sys_config1.fex
> 
> 
> Below steps are my test for boot A10 tvbox to Ubuntu desktop.
> But it only see the welcome screen, couldn't login...:(
> 
> ============================================
> You need another hardware to connect internal connector.
> ============================================
> 1. connect to internal UART port. (for see the console)
> 2. connect to internal USB device port. (for use adb)
> Pin define see the inside picture.
> 
> ==============================
> Change the u-boot in the device.
> to support boot from MMC
> ==============================
> 1. build the u-boot that support boot from MMC.
> 
> *git clone http://git.hands.com/u-boot.git*
> *cd u-boot*
> *git checkout lichee-dev*
> *vi include/configs/suni4.h*
> search mmc config
> a. #if 0 => #if 1   (enable u-boot support mmc)
> b. change #define CONFIG_MMC_SUNXI_SLOT 0
> 
> *make sun4i CROSS_COMPILE=arm-none-linux-gnueabi-*
> got the u-boot.bin   (my build of
> u-boot.bin<http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9959499/a10/u-boot.bin>
> )
> 
> 2. ref the http://elinux.org/Hack_A10_devices
>         use adb push the new u-boot.bin to tv-box.
> 
> =====================================
> Build linux kernel and use SATA HDD as rootfs.
> =====================================
> ref the http://rhombus-tech.net/allwinner_a10/kernel_compile/
> The change of kernel config.
> 1. Change "Default kernel command string" to see the kernel boot log.
>         This is workaround method, I don't know why kernel could not use the
> u-boot env.
> 
> *CONFIG_CMDLINE="console=ttyS0,115200 root=/dev/sda1 rw rootfstype=ext4
> init=/init loglevel=8 rootwait mac_addr=00:CE:39:*
> *B6:5D:B4"*
> *CONFIG_CMDLINE_FORCE=y*
> 
> 2. Disable initrd.
> 3. got the kernel image and copy it to SD Card partition 1 (FAT 16
> filesystem)
>         (my build of
> uImage<http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9959499/a10/uImage_git_root_sda1>
> )
> 
> ======================================
> Build ubuntu 10.04 rootfs
> ======================================
> Thank's rootstock. It has easy way to get the prebuild arm version of
> ubuntu.
> *
> *
> *sudo rootstock \*
> *               --fqdn ubuntu \*
> *               --login ubuntu \*
> *               --password ubuntu \*
> *               --imagesize 3G \*
> *               --seed ubuntu-desktop,openssh-server \*
> * --serial ttyS0*
> * --dist lucid*
> 
> got armel-rootfs-xxxxxxx.tgz.
> 1. extract it to SATA HDD partition 1 that is format as ext4 filesystem.
> 2. copy A10 display kernel module to rootfs
>         *disp.ko, lcd.ko, hdmi.ko   *copy to *lib/module/xxxx/*
> 3. vi etc/init.d/rcS   to add insmod of diplay kernel module.
> *     (cd $MODULES_DIR;insmod disp.ko;insmod lcd.ko;insmod hdmi.ko)*
> 
> ======================================
> Boot up
> ======================================
> 1. plug SATA HDD to SATA port.
> 2. plug the SDCard that has kernel image.
> 3. UART connect to board press any key when power on the device.
>         you will see the u-boot command.
> 4. Type below command to load kernel image from SD Card.
>         *mmcinfo; fatload mmc 0 50000000 uImage_git_root_sda1 ;bootm
> 50000000* 5. You will see kernel boot message from UART and use SATA HDD
> as rootfs.
> 
> =============================
> Another rootfs -- minimal ubuntu 10.04
> =============================
> sudo rootstock --fqdn ubuntu --login ubuntu --password ubuntu --imagesize
> 2G --dist lucid --serial ttyS0 --seed   ubuntu-minimal,vim,openssh,apt
> 
> boot log of console
> http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9959499/a10/bootlog_sata_ubuntu_mini_log.txt
> 
> 
> Regards,
> Matt.